Spike's edgy stuff

[SpikeC]

OK, to start off, this is the first knife that I ever bought, back in '71 when I had just gotten out of the army and moved out of my parents house. It lost it's tip along the way and I reshaped it on oil stones. It was 10 inches long new, now about 1/4 less.

 

[SpikeC]

Some time in the late 80's I acquired a briefcase full of chef's tools from a pawn shop, the guy probably went to the local Culinary Institute. This became my go to for the next 20 some years. I could get a pretty good edge on it, and scared some relatives.

 

[SpikeC]

Along the way my sister, who is a pretty good amateur chef, gifted me these at various times. Once I got them sharp I didn't really use them much, butt she liked the santuko when she cooked with me.

 

[SpikeC]

Some more of the knives from the briefcase, the ham slicer is a 12 incher.

 

[SpikeC]

I found this in the basement or garage of the house that we bought in '74, I rehandled it and it cuts pretty well!

 

[Marko Tsourkan]

Wait, didn't you make a bunch of knives? We want to see those too.

 

[SpikeC]

They are coming, these are the foundation, as it were.

 

[Johnny.B.Good]

They are coming, these are the foundation, as it were.

I love it. Wish everyone would do one of these. Like the back stories on each of your knives Spike. These look like they have seen some good hard use. Keep em coming!

 

[SpikeC]

So here is my first attempt at knife making. I had just discovered the Pepin youtube vid of doing a ballotine, aka KKF chicken. I wanted to try a japanese style boning knife, but I ended up with too much belly on the blade. I like it anyway.

I tried to do a kanji of "Spike" but it turns out to be gibberish in Japanese, more Chinese like.

 

[Johnny.B.Good]

Do you speak Japanese Spike? What does the kanji mean? Pretty impressive first effort. Pretty impressive period.

 

[SpikeC]

This is my second knife. I wasn't happy with the way that if felt so I recently reground it, it may end up as one sister's xmas present. It was made in April of this year.

 

[SpikeC]

In June I made my 3rd knife, this one a little gyuto, just under 8 inches, with an ebony handle and bronze bolster. I really like the way this one works, it has a very thin tip and grind.

 

[SpikeC]

By July I had another chef's knife, a little over 8" and one guy thinks it's a santuko, butt the profile turned out be just like a Takeda gyuto. Like the previous one, this has a mustard finish.

 

[SpikeC]

And late September saw another gyuto. They are getting a little longer as I push the capabilities of my jewelry kiln. This one has a lost wax bolster cast in a nickel silver substitute that isn't very silver and has no nickel. Another BS handle in spalted maple burl.

This one got my first saya, in some scrap redwood:

 

[Bryan G.]

Wow Spike, it's crazy how the inspiration from makers is translating over the "common" members. My hats off to you guys for trying your hand at it, let alone producing some nice knives. Keep up the work Spike.

Regards

 

[mhenry]

Very cool Spike beautiful job on the knives you have made

 

[SpikeC]

Thanks for the kudos, guys! I appreciate the positive feedback. And here is the latest, more of the BS redwood in the handle, another lost wax cast bolster, this one with a ruby set in it. I was watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy on the encore network and the shape of the bolster is inspired by the towers of Minas Tirith. The saya is some figured black walnut that goes rather well with the handle wood, I think. It was something that was laying about the shop.